


Shadow Cast

by kitkatt0430



Series: Hartmon Bingo 2020 [14]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: ASL, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Date Night, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hartley and Cisco attend a play with a shadow cast for ASL, M/M, Shadow Cast Play, The Importance of Being Earnest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23678794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatt0430/pseuds/kitkatt0430
Summary: The last time Hartley and Cisco went to see a play, it didn't turn out to be as accessibility friendly as they were hoping.  But this time they're going to a shadow cast play and it should, hopefully, be something they can both enjoy.  (Spoilers: they do enjoy it.)
Relationships: Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway
Series: Hartmon Bingo 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656343
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26
Collections: Hartmon Bingo





	Shadow Cast

**Author's Note:**

> For both the Hartmon ASL event and for the Hartmon Bingo card prompt N3 - Deaf Culture
> 
> So this story does sort of expect you have a somewhat passing knowledge of the play The Importance of Being Earnest. You can currently get the ebook free on Amazon, though it's so much better actually acted out. The 2002 movie is hilariously well done, even with the liberties it takes. 
> 
> We watched the movie in one of my high school English classes once and I'd actually seen it before that. So my teacher put the movie on as a surprise, didn't tell us what it was. As the opening scene played I was bouncing in excitement because I knew this movie and it was wonderful and witty and my classmates were not prepared for how good it was. I also had a chance to see the play performed live some time before that. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite plays.

The last time they went to see a play, it was _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_. Cisco had breached them to New York for what was supposed to be a really nice weekend getaway and, excluding the play, had been.

They'd left the play at intermission, Hartley so frustrated and in pain that he was on the verge of tears. Hartley had been having a bad night for his hearing to begin with, but the actor's voices on the stage and over the speakers, just slightly out of sync, had blurred together in Hartley's ears until he couldn't understand what they were saying at all. From their seats, Hartley could barely see the ASL interpreters and that was even with acquiring tickets that put them in the ‘optimum viewing area for deaf or hard of hearing patrons’. And watching the interpreters meant missing stage actions.

He'd tried to tough it out for Cisco's sake, but the concerned looks he'd gotten came to a head when the lights turned back on and Cisco could see Hartley's face properly.

At Cisco's insistence, they breached back to the hotel and Hartley had taken pain killers, curling up on the bed with a damp towel over his face while Cisco gently curled up next to him. The next morning, Cisco swore they hadn't really missed anything worthwhile because the plot had been kind of shitty. They'd read better fanfictions.

They'd _written_ better fanfictions.

Though Hartley regretted the money they'd spent on a play they'd never finish, he did appreciate the way Cisco had taken care of him that evening. Everything else on their trip went perfectly and they breached back to Central Sunday evening to make love in their bed.

But now, maybe it was time to try again. One of the local theater groups in Central City was putting on _The Importance of Being Earnest_. It was a small stage so there weren't likely to be any bad seats and, best of all, it was a full shadow cast. Hartley could just turn up his hearing aids to their highest setting, blocking out nearly all sound entirely, and just... watch the stage. No weird echo effects. No feeling like everyone in the theaters was laughing and whispering and clapping right next to his ears. No missing the stage action in order to know what the actors are saying.

Now to find out if Cisco would be interested.

* * *

Cisco laid out a flyer on their coffee table with a flourish. In big block letters at the top read _The Importance of Being Earnest_.

Hartley couldn't help it, he started giggling. "I actually got an email promoting the play in my inbox this morning," he said with a grin. "I was going to ask if you wanted to see it."

"You know what they say." Cisco was beaming too. "Great minds think alike. So, wanna check out the ticket prices and decide which night is gonna be date night?"

Hartley was already pulling the laptop out from under the couch.

* * *

Thursday night saw Hartley and Cisco in a darkened theater. Hartley's hearing aids already turned up to the point where everything sounded muted or distant. It was so weird following along behind Cisco, unable to hear either of their footfalls, but it was all just humming in the background now. Oddly peaceful, really.

Cisco stopped at their row and asked, verbally and with ASL, for the people already sitting there to let them through to their seats. Their seats were somewhere towards the middle and Hartley signed a thank you to the family before following Cisco in shuffling past.

Once seated, they both poured over their playbills while waiting for the lights to dim and the curtains to raise. There was an ad in the back for Shen Yun and Hartley pointed it out to Cisco, signing "Caitlin's birthday?"

"Good idea," was Cisco's response. "Their dances are gorgeous." Caitlin had shown them some clips online from previous performances, so tickets to the show really would be a well appreciated gift.

When the lights started dimming, Hartley exchanged an excited look with Cisco, then turned all his concentration upon the stage.

When the curtain lifted, it was to a stage setup like a well to do flat. There were already four people on stage: Algernon slouching dramatically on the settee, Lane (the butler) looking dour, and both their shadow-cast counterparts. Hartley knew the play by heart. He loved the 2002 movie and had read the play cover to cover far too many times to count.

But the ASL version of it? That'd be the first translated version of _The Importance of Being Earnest_ that Hartley had ever seen. 

And the play is still absolutely hilarious. Somehow Lane thinking it unpolite to listen is funnier in ASL. And every time the speaking version of Algernon stole a cucumber sandwich off the serving plate, the signing version of Algernon would steal the sandwich from the other Algernon while he wasn't looking. While the speaking versions of the cast ignored the signing versions, the shadow cast poked fun at their counterparts.

Then Jack Worthing showed up, pretending his name was Ernest of course. Hartley knew Jack's nickname for Algernon was the much disliked 'Algy' but somehow he was still unprepared to see the sign for 'algae'. He couldn't stop giggling at that one.

There was, rather understandably, no corresponding sign for the term 'Bunburyist' or the name 'Bunbury' so the shadow Algernon signed bun-bury in quick succession, telling Jack, "in fact what you have is a Bunbury. I knew you had to have one. You have the most advanced Bunbury I've heard of." Which led to Jack responding that he'd never buried any buns.

"No not... Bunbury is a name." Algernon's body language as he signed turned somewhat agitated. Annoyed. "Bunbury is a convenient imaginary invalid. Like your imaginary brother in the city; Bunbury is my unwell friend in the country. Pretend people we can visit as we like."

When the Lady Bracknell and Gwendolyn showed up, however, that put eight actors on stage. It wasn't exactly crowded yet, but it was getting there.

Later, after Lady Bracknell's interview of Jack went badly, one Algernon was at the piano in the corner presumably playing the Wedding March while his shadow counterpart signed, "dearly beloved. We are gathered here today..."

Neither Jack looked happy while the Algernons looked smug.

By the end of the first act, Hartley was trying so hard not to bounce around with his excitement and pleasure over just how much fun the play was. He found himself chatting with the kid next to him - born deaf with an otherwise all hearing family - while Cisco made a quick bathroom run. Then it was time for act two, opening with Cecily and Miss Prism.

While the speaking characters discussed Cecily's German lessons, the shadow cast discussed Cecily learning German sign language, or DGS (for Deutsche Gebärdensprache), which Hartley thought was a nice touch.

Algernon and Jack's interactions continued to be the most amusing part of the play in act two, though. ("You scoundral Algae. You are not allowed to bury any buns at my house." "I'm not burying any... now you've got me doing it." )

When Algernon and Cecily kissed, only the speaking actors did so. The signing actors both signed "kiss" at each other and then followed it up with rather impatient looks at their counterparts. When speaking duo might have gone back for another kiss, their shadows hauled them each back several steps.

The ladies and their diaries were quite amusing too, with one set of diaries and everyone trying to peer over each other's shoulders when an entry was pointed out. The diaries were passed back and forth between the two versions of their respective owners. It was all quite well orchestrated. When Jack and then Algernon joined them, thus revealing each gentleman's deception, the four actresses banded together on one side of the stage, all enmity forgotten.

The final act of the play did get crowded on stage a few times. But the interaction between the shadow cast and the speaking cast was well worth the busy moments. When Lady Bracknell confronted Miss Prism over the scandal of the lost baby, Jack and Algernon were meant to cover Gwendolyn and Cecily's ears to protect them from such heinous knowledge. So too did the shadow counterparts to the gentlemen 'protect' the ladies by covering their eyes. Off to the side, both versions of Chasuble covered their mouths.

The title drop signaled the end of the play and Hartley didn't think he'd ever applauded quite so hard for anything.

* * *

Hartley didn't turn his hearing aids back to normal levels until they were back in the car. He leaned back against the seat, pulling the seat belt down with a shushing sound, gears in the background as it unwound within the car's frame.

"That was awesome," Hartley said with a bright grin on his face. "If they do another shadow cast play we'll have to find the time to come back."

"Definitely. Some of the ASL went over my head, but I think I learned a few new signs," Cisco said with a grin. "I loved the algae joke. And when they pulled the 'see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil' gag. That was great."

Hartley grinned and kissed Cisco on the cheek. "I always like that Lady Bracknell clearly knows Jack was making it up at the end, about being named Ernest after all."

"Yup, yet she lets him have it anyway; I like to imagine that it turns out his name really was still Jack... or Johnathon, I guess that's what Jack is short for. But it always weirds me out that it means Jack is marrying his cousin Gwendolyn." Cisco scrunched up his nose.

"Well, that's only if they were related on Lady Bracknell's side," Hartley objected. "Since Gwendolyn gets referred to as Lady Fairfax, she might be from an earlier marriage. Making them cousins-in-law so it's less creepy."

"Fair enough," Cisco allowed. "So, dinner?"

"How about Besa's? I'm in the mood for some of their eggplant parmigiana."

"Stromboli," Cisco said, turning the food's name into an agreement and putting the car in gear. "So the sign they used for Bunbury..."


End file.
